Dear Sweet Peais no different.

Ive really wanted to write for a younger audience for a long time.

Ive never written into an advice column, but as a kid, I wrote to Oprah several times.

Julie Murphy

Credit: Christy Archibald

Once I even wrote to her asking her to reunite a close friend with her estranged father.

Can you imagine what a pickle that would have been for my unsuspecting friend?

I thought I was putting together the surprise of the century!

DearSweetPea-hc-(1)

HarperCollins Children’s Books

Theres a little bit of that arrogance too in Sweet Pea.

And isnt it always easier to fix everyone elses problems instead of your own?

Its the word thats been ringing in my ears for months now.

And of course its always great to bring new readers into the fold!

I have to pinch myself every day!

Theres one small character crossover, but thats pretty much where the similarities stop.

Still it was fun to imagine Willowdean and the whole gang just down the road!